Sony unveiled the PS4 last week. Full of hope and promise the internet is abuzz with good cheer about the possibilities it entails. Frankly, I’m underwhelmed. Is the PS4 solid? Yes, it appears to be everything necessary to bring forward a new generation of games. Does it wow? No.
Saturday, February 23, 2013
PlayStation Dreams
Sony unveiled the PS4 last week. Full of hope and promise the internet is abuzz with good cheer about the possibilities it entails. Frankly, I’m underwhelmed. Is the PS4 solid? Yes, it appears to be everything necessary to bring forward a new generation of games. Does it wow? No.
Friday, February 22, 2013
So Long, Farewell
1up and Gamespy closed yesterday. In their more than a
decade span, each site has come to belong to the gold standard of excellence in
video game journalism. They are the latest casualties in what is becoming an
increasingly dismal video game horizon. Record profits or no, it has become
crystal clear that the video game industry is undergoing a titanic upheaval.
Studio after studio closing in 2012 can’t be pushed aside as nothing more than
mismanagement or a shifting of game development focus. Large and small, studio
after studio has fallen, and fallen hard. Long lauded as recession proof, video
games have been given a one two punch of declining unit sales as well as a
changing of the guard in how gamers wish to pay for content. Big publishers and
small are turning to mobile, casual, and at times even handheld markets to
create new revenue pathways with limited success. It’s not time to raise the
white flag but the uncertainty of both publishers and developers will likely
herald far less risk taking and innovation no matter the wishes of those
involved. Like the countries they reside in, a downward turn in economics will
result in a more conservative approach. Perhaps the next gen holds the key to
new revenue streams, but more likely it will do little more than mask the
prevailing problems. The video game industry is changing and quickly at that,
what will rise up from the ashes may only be guessed at. Fare thee well 1up and
Gamespy, you will be missed.
Wednesday, February 20, 2013
Destiny’s Promise
Some things just bring a light to gamers’ eyes; a quality AAA
title, a beautiful screenshot, a twinkle in a developers eyes as they talk
about a new game. There are only a handful of developers who are trusted beyond
reproach at a given time. Neither fate, nor the internet is kind and some will
rise and some will fall. For now, for here, Halo creators’ Bungie is one of
them.
Sunday, February 17, 2013
The Best of the Best V
This isn’t your parents Saturday morning cartoons. Japan
might not have the best television shows but in one area of entertainment they
have no peers. Japanese anime is now more popular than ever, but finding the
diamonds among such a huge library of material can be daunting. This list
isn’t every single great anime and as befitting my gender is slightly
skewed toward action. However, not a single anime on this list won’t leave
you wanting more and isn’t that the best compliment?
Friday, February 15, 2013
Surviving the Hype
Hype n.: Excessive publicity and the ensuing commotion
MMO’s have come along way from the golden younger years, but one
thing that remains the same; hype. No game can completely counter the hype,
nor should they. Hype is necessary to generate excitement for the new and the
unknown. Every game needs a little hype to survive especially as the market
becomes more competitive with every passing moment.
Tuesday, February 12, 2013
The Frame of War II
(An Intermediate Guide to Warframe)
Warframe is a game that begs the quote ‘Easy to play, Tough
to Master’. Here are some helpful tips on the road to advanced play.
1.
Revives are tied to a particular Frame not the player
account. Plan accordingly.
2.
Reviving a downed player with multiple players
shortens the revive time.
3.
You carry two weapons; don’t be afraid to switch
them. Reloads, fast/slow enemies, mission type can all dictate changing weapons
on the fly.
4.
Shoot the camera/auto turrets on sight, they
provide decent experience and can make the energy jails a major threat instead
of a minor nuisance.
5.
Flashy Ninja moves keep you from getting hit,
which gives you bigger bonuses and can be the difference between victory or
eating dirt.
6.
Choose weapons that feel comfortable to your play
style and keep them until level 30. Not only will changing weapons frequently
slow your leveling process it is less necessary than it might seem.
7.
Do Alerts, rare things drop there.
8.
Team up when possible, solo when ranking new Warframes.
Until you become an advanced player, leveling is easier with friends.
9.
Higher numbers are always better, keep an eye on
stats. However, as always what is comfortable will likely be your best bet.
10.
When you find something that works, keep at it.
11.
While on a team you can join locked missions.
Wednesday, February 6, 2013
The Frame of War
The only rules that really matter are these: what a man can
do and what a man can't do. – Jack Sparrow
I’ve been playing a MMO called Warframe of late. The game is
named after a secret World War II era plan by Boeing to build Exoskeletons for
the military. Since soldiers aren’t wearing suits of armor, it can be deduced
that the technology simply wasn’t there. Besides the movies, no one has figured
out a way to get through the various barriers of software, hardware, and power.
It’s ironic but Iron Man is a fairly good thesis on how hard it would be to get
a suit of armor working.
Warframe is the brain child of Digital Extremes, the makers
of a concept video for Xbox 360 that went on to become Dark Sector. The concept
video was the first Xbox 360 game announced. However, with the launch and then success
of the Call of Duty franchise, plans were changed. A decade later, that little
remembered concept video has been born anew into an entirely new game. Part
Mass Effect, part Halo, part Splinter Cell; Warframe is a little game punching
way above its weight class.
I can’t say what the future holds, perhaps Warframe fails
miserably or perhaps it succeeds past the companies wildest dreams. But
whatever the future holds, Warframe is proof of a far simpler idea. Digital
Extremes had a dream. Life caused that dream to have to be put on hold for a
while, but here they are again. Bit by bit, they are building it anew from the
ashes of an old memory. It’s a lesson to take to heart.
Friday, February 1, 2013
The Center of the Universe
Centuries ago the leading minds of Earth believed that the Sun revolved
around the Earth and that the world was flat; they couldn’t conceive the
world as anything other than what they knew to be true. We scoff at them now,
dismiss them as little more than barbarians for their customs and beliefs. It
is of interest because although our science is better, we haven’t changed
much from our forebears. We don’t believe aliens exist; we scoff at the
idea of space travel, time travel, or any number of theoretical sciences beyond
our understanding. At the end of the day, underneath it all, is the same belief
covering our eyes as those of our ancestors; we still believe that we are at
the center of the universe.
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